Theatre

I Went To The House But I Did Not Enter

Musical reflection of literary masters

29 Aug 2008

There has been no shortage of theatre that examines the disaffection and atomisation of modern life over the last century, but it’s less common to find a piece that selects four noted 20th century authors to explore the theme, then translates their work…

I Went To The House But Did Not Enter

First person peculiar

21 Aug 2008

Edinburgh favourite Heiner Goebbels returns to the Festival with the world premier of his collaboration with the Hilliard Ensemble, I Went to the House but Did Not Enter. Mark Fisher catches up with him The scene is Lausanne, Switzerland where a…

Mamma Mia!

27 Mar 2008

MUSICAL SECC, Glasgow, Tue 1–Sat 27 Apr Last time I saw Mamma Mia! I was sitting directly behind Fish out of Marillion. I mention this not to name drop. If I was that shallow, I’d point out that Bridget McConnell, Glasgow’s culture supremo, and her…

Matthew Bourne's Dorian Gray

Effective storytelling makes for an adaptation with impact

29 Aug 2008

In the closing moments of Dorian Gray, a bright light shines out into the audience, temporarily blinding us. Something most people aren't used to, but those who spend their life in the spotlight are all too familiar with. It's this -- the trappings of…

One Small Step

edfest.tv - video

28 Aug 2008

Check your oxygen, adjust your spacesuit and buckle up for the biggest mission of your life…. to the moon.

Kiddy-Fiddler on the Roof

edfest.tv - video

27 Aug 2008

At Townsville Comprehensive, teacher Arnold Finkler is falsely accused of molestation and chased by an enraged mob of parents.

Matthew Bourne’s Dorian Gray

edfest.tv - video

26 Aug 2008

New Adventures, Sadlers Wells and the Edinburgh International Festival present Matthew Bourne's Dorian Gray freely adapted from Oscar Wilde's masterpiece.

Pierrepoint: The Hangman's Tale

7 Aug 2008

The story of Albert Pierrepoint, the most prolific chief executioner of the 20th century, has fascinated audiences for years. This stark, sobering, well-written and excellently acted new play, low on production values but strikingly effective as a…

On the Waterfront - Steven Berkoff

Fighting talk

31 Jul 2008

Steven Berkoff’s position in the British theatre is a bit like that of the mysterious nail that seems to belong nowhere after you’ve constructed your Ikea bookshelf. On the face of it, he simply doesn’t belong, but somehow things don’t work without…

Guy Masterson

edfest.tv - video

28 Aug 2008

Guy Masterson provides an insight into the exiting world of theatre.

Back to the Future: The Pantomime

edfest.tv - video

26 Aug 2008

'1.21 gigawatts? But Marty… the only thing that can generate that amount of electricity is… a pantomime!'

Stonewall

9 Aug 2007

Doubtless huge progress has been made regarding gay rights in recent decades but there are still reports of gay people being persecuted across the world.

Preview of the year 2007

2007 is about the future. And about the past. It’

3 Jan 2007

THE FUTURE Cyberspace invaders We may not be flying around in hover cars or wearing spangly all-silver outfits, but thanks to the internet the future has truly arrived. And the revolution will continue apace in 2007, argues Suzanne Black. A…

Eye to the future at the end of the line for Edinburgh Festival 2008

Alan Bissett's festival blog

27 Aug 2008

Ah, the end of the Fringe. Goodbye rain. Goodbye bright-eyed young hopefuls thrusting flyers. Goodbye posh accents. How was it for you? Depending on who you talk to, plays this year have been too bleak/political/teenage. Given the gloomy political…

A Conversation with Edith Head

9 Aug 2007

Hollywood costume designer Edith Head worked on almost 500 films in her 54-year career. She dressed Mae West, Dorothy Lamour and Barbara Stanwyck in their most iconic outfits. She played with the big boys at Paramount (and later Universal) and her onyx…

Call Me If You Feel Too Happy

edfest.tv - video

26 Aug 2008

Bipolar is a buzzword in celebrity chic, but what if you're not on the A-List?

Disney's High School Musical

28 Feb 2008

MUSICAL Playhouse, Edinburgh, until Sat 1 Mar If the cast-iron chastity, remarkable level of racial harmony and general abstemiousness of the teenagers represented in this stage version of the hit Disney Channel film don’t seem to ring true of the…

Fringe hangover: Where have you been?

Adam Fraser's festival blog

26 Aug 2008

That’s it. The Fringe is over. At this point, the hard-working critic, performer, theatre-goer or box office drone might wish to find a darkened room, take a moment to collect their thoughts and let the adrenalin settle, and unpick the events of the…

Joan Rivers - Work in progress by a life in progress

New York's comedy diva explores the ageing process - again

21 Aug 2008

It has fallen to Joan Rivers, the world's best-known female comic, to provide some much needed glamour at this year's Fringe. Clad in a black pantsuit and hot pink shawl, the crude magnetism of her celebrity status keeps the packed house fixed on her…

I Went to the House But Did Not Enter

Edinburgh International Festival

22 Jul 2008

A collage-based approach to theatre from maverick creator. Heiner Goebbels’ latest work may be in the Edinburgh International Festival’s drama programme, but the scope of this maverick composer and theatre maker is far more expansive. In 2001…

Amy Lamé’s Mama Cass Family Singers

18 Oct 2007

THEATRE Tron Theatre, Glasgow, Thu 25–Sat 27 Oct ‘I came up with the idea of a misremembered memoir which is what the show is,’ says Amy Lamé of her one-woman show Mama Cass Family Singers. ‘A lot of it is real, some of it’s made up, but it’s all…

The Aluminum Show

edfest.tv - video

18 Aug 2008

A joyous metallic fantasy incorporating dance, physical theatre, puppetry and special effects makes its UK début.

Office Party

Party On

31 Jul 2008

The medieval feast of fools was an event where established hierarchies were overturned, sexual and social proprieties were transgressed and the everyday laws of the culture were suspended. It’s the subject of academic study all over Europe, where…

Torn Out Pages

edfest.tv - video

26 Aug 2008

With her pants round her ankles and about to lose her virginity at the grand old age of 39, Elaine Reid has a flashback.

365

Magical reflection on children in care

26 Aug 2008

The idea of a play about children in care might not immediately strike you as the an entertaining festival night out, but overcome your prejudices. Vicky Featherstone’s production of David Harrower’s script for the NTS touches upon the issues that…

Circus Oz: 30th Birthday Bash

Acrobatics with an Aussie accent

7 Aug 2008

Characters in colourful costumes exchange banter with the audience, the live band plays a constant stream of Gogol Bordello-like polka and one act involves a dramatic take on Frankenstein's monster. This isn't your average circus. Far more theatrical…

The Body Politic - The British Ambassador’s Belly Dancer

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

22 Jul 2008

A story of prostitution, oppression and torture might not sound like fun, but throw in a bit of belly dancing and you have a Fringe hit. Steve Cramer talks to Craig Murray, formerly our man in Uzbekistan, about baring souls on stage.

Wilde boys - Matthew Bourne’s Dorian Gray

Edinburgh International Festival

22 Jul 2008

Matthew Bourne is taking his biggest risk yet by revamping The Picture of Dorian Gray. Kelly Apter talks to him about sensuality, satire and the death of Heath Ledger.

Pornography - Simon Stephens interview

Shock values - Traverse Theatre

17 Jul 2008

As the Traverse embarks on its first Edinburgh Festival Fringe season under the artistic directorship of Dominic Hill, Steve Cramer talks to acclaimed dramatist Simon Stephens, writer of Pornography, about 7/7 and a new definition of the pornographic

Fiddler on the Roof

21 Aug 2008

This new touring production of the much-loved Jerry Brock musical stars Joe McCann as Tevye, dairyman and father to five headstrong daughters in Czarist Russia, who becomes torn between Jewish tradition and the actions of his family against a backdrop…

Scaramouche Jones

21 Aug 2008

Scaramouche Jones, the white-faced clown, has lived a century and wants to tell you the story of his life. Bring a cushion, because it's gonna be a loooong ride. An energetic performance from writer Justin Butcher doesn't hide the fact that this…

Elvis Hates Me!

12 Aug 2008

Elvis Presley a.k.a. “The King” has been an icon to many generations. In Philip Stokes’ latest play, the rock star comes back to life, only there are two of him. The story is set in a mental ward where two patients believing they are Elvis Presley…

Hard times - Gladder to be Gay?

Festival of Politics

22 Jul 2008

Simon Callow is heading our way with both Stonewall and Dickens on his mind. Anna Millar chats to one of theatre’s hardest working men about his love of acting and support for gay rights Mere minutes out of London rehearsals for The Magic Flute and…

Scottish Ballet’s Sleeping Beauty

29 Nov 2007

CHRISTMAS BALLET Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Tue 11–Sat 29 Dec Since his arrival at Scottish Ballet, Ashley Page has been like a Christmas cracker – when his festive shows open, you never know what you’ll find inside. Both The Nutcracker and Cinderella…

Debbie Does Dallas - The Musical

23 Aug 2007

There’s a very fine line between a send-up of a ropey cultural item and something that’s just plain ropey. Almost from its shrill opening bars it becomes crystal clear that Debbie Does Dallas – The Musical has crossed the line. The fundamental…

Ruhe

edfest.tv - video

27 Aug 2008

A recital of beautiful Schubert song is brutally interrupted by people who want to talk about their voluntary enlistment in the SS.

Weights

edfest.tv - video

26 Aug 2008

1978: a gunshot in a gritty LA bar. A life changed forever. Lynn Manning's poetic, musical, mesmerising, pulverising 2007 hit returns.

365 - One Night to Learn a Lifetime

Shock tactics

21 Aug 2008

With 365, a series of fragmented narratives about children leaving care, Vicky Featherstone’s National Theatre of Scotland cements its commitment to telling stories of the people. Kirstin Innes meets the cast, writer and director. Lunchtime, and…

Lough/Rain

Quietly tragic relationship drama

21 Aug 2008

This piece, co-authored by Declan Feenan and Clara Brennan, opens on an early morning scene involving a couple (Jot Davies and Kate Donmall) living in a rural Northern Irish community, which segues into a day sometime later, when the male half of the…

The British Ambassador's Belly Dancer

edfest.tv - video

18 Aug 2008

Extraordinary true story of Nadira Murray, the mistress of Craig Murray, former British Ambassador for Uzbekistan.

We All Fall Down

Playing with the Plague

14 Aug 2008

Who'd have thought the Black Death could be so much fun? Or that a tale with such a strong moral heart could be so full of laughs and silliness? The story of two 17th century villages both blighted with the plague, the show explores the selfish and…

Miss Sign-On

14 Aug 2008

Every negative stereotype of musical theatre is confirmed in this attempt at satire. The titular diva on the dole is a work-shy luvvie, her agent is a money-grabbing vampire and her gay best friend is sex-starved and superficial. More worrying still is…

Potted Pirates

Hilarity on the high seas

14 Aug 2008

Sensible pirate devotee Jeff just wants to give a serious, educational lecture about famous pirates. His crewmate Dan, while also a fellow fan of all things swashbuckling, has a different approach. An enthusiast of the Jack Sparrow variety of privateer…

Circus Oz

edfest.tv - video

7 Aug 2008

The Circus Oz 30th Birthday Bash national UK tour has kicked off with a bang at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Adventures of Butt Boy and Tigger

Polished insight into the joys of online dating

7 Aug 2008

Anyone who has dipped their toes in the choppy waters of internet dating will find this sparky, well-observed two-hander from Australia's Out Cast Theatre enjoyably close-to-the-knuckle. Butt Boy (Jamie) and Tigger (Matt) meet in a chatroom late one…

Bouncy Castle Dracula

7 Aug 2008

The Bouncy Castle Project returns to the Fringe to subject Dracula to typically blunt treatment. After a nanosecond of excitement at the concept, you are left with a production so dire it would be near criminal for someone to fork out £9 to see it.

Feast of the Ants

7 Aug 2008

This overlong Japanese comedy is too bogged down in moral messages to be enjoyable. The inhabitants of Arizuka Town are presented as brimming over with foolishness and cowardice. It's a premise that makes for a tedious play, though the exquisite…

InvAsian Festival

Culture shock

31 Jul 2008

When, earlier this year, a BBC executive lamented the continued dominance of a ‘liberal, white, middle class elite’ across British television, his words could equally have been applied to Edinburgh in August. For all the Fringe’s variety, the number of…

Lough/Rain

New writing explores themes of love and stoicism

31 Jul 2008

The spirit of adventure brought to the Fringe by the Underbelly has always been about new work, but this year’s programme seems to lean, more than ever, towards new writing, above and beyond the usual array of physical and visual theatre. Notable among…

Edinburgh Fringe - LGBT Highlights

17 Jul 2008

Allan Radcliffe selects the best the Fringe has to offer in comedy, theatre and music